Life Truly Is A Nightmare
by xizzy
Summary: Kay, so Chloe and Derek are pretty much in love with each other but problems and worries arise with the Edison Group messing in their lives. Can they bring them down before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclamer: I don't own any characters, all of them belong to Kelley Armstrong.  
Anyways, this is my first fanfic for The Awakening...please tell me what you think of it.  
This is kind of a one-shot thing, I don't plan to continue it, but if you like this work, maybe I'll write some more fanfics for The Awakening that involve other topics and what-not (Yes, I promise more Derek+Chloe moments)**

* * *

I glanced at Derek. He was sitting on the damp grass across from me, legs stretched out in front of him, back slightly hunched, hands resting on his lap. He was completely relaxed and content. I was glad that he felt better after what he just went through.  
The Change that had finally managed to escape from his body.  
I didn't like seeing Derek in pain.  
I did not quite know what it was yet, but I just felt sorry for him and I felt bad that I couldn't do anything to help him except sit by his side and comfort him as he writhed and moaned in pain.  
Something just pained my heart to see him suffer like that.  
But at least I now knew that Derek wouldn't have to suffer again. Because just a few minutes ago he'd returned to his human form after actually transforming into a werewolf! It was shocking, but also incredible to watch. After Derek had returned to his human form he seemed tired but also he seemed happy. Another change I noticed after his transformation was the major loss of acne on his face! Just a few small dots were left on his chin, but the rest was pale, clear skin. Quite honestly, he looked cute without the acne…

As I glanced at Derek I noticed he was staring right at me...this wasn't just any stare, it seemed more like a gaze.  
Our eyes met and I quickly looked down. My cheeks heated rapidly.  
Oh My God. He probably saw that. My cheeks turning red at the sight of him staring at me.

Now he probably thinks I like him or something like that.  
I didn't hate him. I did like him. I enjoyed spending alone time with him, I felt like he understood me, and I was happy to be there for him, as well as I was happy when he was there with me.  
Was I seriously falling for Derek?

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that Derek had crawled over to where I sat. He gently lifted my chin with his fingers and I realized that he had planted himself on his knees right in front of me. He gazed into my eyes and I gazed into his perfect green eyes. His eyes were sparkling, full of joy.  
My heart started accelerating; beating so hard I had a hunch that he could hear it through my chest.  
I was lost in this sea of sparkling green, next thing I knew, Derek's hands wrapped around mine.  
Right then, Derek closed his eyes and gently kissed me.  
He caught me off guard but I did not hesitate to close my eyes and kiss him back.

So this was it, my very first kiss. It was warm, soft and a little bit wet. But I enjoyed it. My finger tips felt all tingly, my heart was pounding furiously in my chest, my veins felt like they were on fire!  
I never knew I could kiss a guy. The very thought of it made me nervous, made me wonder, _What if I was a bad kisser and the guy didn't like it?  
_I didn't have to worry about that now. Kissing came naturally.

Derek slowly released his lips from our kiss. I was caught staring into his eyes once more, completely blushing.

Derek smiled, "Thanks Chloe."

With that he kissed me one more time. I melted.

"I'm happy that your there for me Chloe…and I really…um," his sincere words trailed off, as if he had a hard time choking out the words he truly wanted to say.

"I really like you Chloe," he looked into my eyes, he was serious.

"I-I really like you too, Derek."

Another kiss from Derek, although this time I wriggled my hands out of his grasp and flung them around this neck.  
He wrapped his empty hands around my waist.  
I felt so safe and warm with him there. And I finally knew how he truly felt, and I was glad to have my feelings out. All those moments we had together, staring into each others eyes but looking away right when we felt something different. But this difference was a good difference.  
I wasn't scared anymore to let him know that I really liked him.

We stopped our kissing; Derek pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms tighter around my waist. I held onto his neck tighter and we sat there hugging each other for a while listening to each other breathe.

I've never felt happier in my life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclamer: All characters belong to Kelley Armstrong.  
Kay, so I've decided to write on, continue from the first fanfic I wrote. This one is a bit longer than the other one. Tell me what ****you think and enjoy. :]**

* * *

Derek and I calmly walked back to the house, hand-in-hand, fingers intertwined. We walked slowly and casually, neither one of us were in a hurry to get back but we knew that if we were gone for too long Andrew would start to worry and questions would be asked, so at some point Derek suggested we quicken the pace just a bit.

As we walked we laughed with each other and just talked calmly. For a moment I felt like a regular teenage girl that was just taking a stroll with the regular teenage guy she liked. I felt as if I had nothing to run from and nothing to hide. I guess this is how it felt like being normal…without any freaky necromancer powers.

When the house started coming into view from the forest we were in, all the joy that had overwhelmed me slowly started to fade away. We were finally snapping out of our fake, happy world and back into reality. Too bad reality wasn't as great as our fake world.

"What are we going to tell the others?" I asked quietly, a question that had started bothering me as soon as I remembered that Derek and I weren't the only ones who lived in this house.

Derek stayed silent for a moment, "I'll talk to Simon."

A small ball of guilt began growing in my gut. Simon was a very sweet guy and I got the hint that he liked me…but I just didn't feel the same way. At least, not anymore. When I had met him a few weeks ago the thought of being with him thrilled me, every time he squeezed my hand, touched me, got me blushing madly. However, after spending a few days with Derek, I started to feel different towards him. Now whenever Simon squeezed my hand I felt nothing, no affection…lately I'd start blushing whenever Derek looked me in the eyes or even brushed his hand against mine. These past couple of days that we'd stayed at the house finally gave me some time to think and I realized that Simon was never really there for me…it was Derek.

"Hey Chloe," Derek said in a soft voice and tugged my hand gently just as we were about to step out of the forest.  
He looked down at me and said, "Don't worry."

"Derek, I really like you but Simon's a nice guy and I don't want to hurt him…" my voice trailed off and I glanced down at my shoes.

Derek gently lifted my chin forcing me to look into this eyes, "He'll understand," he gave me a small smile that made my heart skip a beat and made me want to just kiss him again.

I stood on my toes and softly pressed my lips to his. He released my hand and hugged my waist.  
When we separated from our kiss, I opened my eyes and hugged him back, burrowing my face into his shirt. I could feel his warm skin on my cheek through his shirt. This felt great.

After two silent minutes Derek spoke up softly, "We have to go."

"I don't want to let go," I mumbled into his shirt. Everything seemed to be so easy when I hugged or kissed him.

"Neither do I," and with that he pulled me closer into a tighter hug.

Is this what it feels like to be in love? I thought. Never wanting to let go?

We finally managed to release each other and ventured through the backyard and into the house.  
Entering through the backdoor led us into the gleaming kitchen. A black and white tiled floor, wooden cabinets, shiny sink, dishwasher, clean marble counter, tall silver fridge and wooden eating table placed in the middle of the kitchen greeted us. The rest of the house seemed oddly still. Very silent too.

I followed Derek out of the kitchen and into the cozy den, but couldn't get past the doorway since Derek stopped dead in his tracks.

"Derek?" I asked, "What's going on?"

He didn't respond, all I saw were his muscles stiffening through the back of his shirt and his hands balled up into fists.  
He stepped quickly into the room and I saw right then what was going on, and it wasn't good.

Andrew lay on the grey carpeted floor, the blood was trickling from the gash on his forehead stained the carpet. The glass coffee table was tipped over, all its contents spilled across the floor (magazines, a remote, a glass of water). The rest of the room remained untouched, the green leather sofa was still sitting in its place, as well as the book shelf and the T.V was still on, the volume turned completely down.

Derek checked Andrews pulse, "Alive but unconscious," he breathed a sigh of relief, "Chloe, you tend to his wound, while I search the rest of the house."

I nodded and turned to leave the den to find a bandage in the downstairs bathroom. Normally I would've refused and told Derek that I wasn't letting him go alone, but this situation didn't call for any arguments. As I returned to the den with a bandage and scissors I knew that this was not a good sign. Definitely not good.

When I finished wrapping Andrews gash I propped a pillow under his head and sat down on the sofa. What was going on? Where were Simon and Tori? Only the Edison Group could've done this! I though we were safe here…I guess this shows we're not.

Derek returned to the room looking completely distraught. In his hand he held a scrunched up piece of paper.

"What's that?" I shot up.

Derek said nothing; his gaze seemed to be far off, as if he was thinking hard. He wordlessly handed me the paper.

I grabbed it. A short note but enough to make every worry return.

_You can run, but you can't hide._

_ -T.E.G_

The Edison Group. A sinking feeling took over me making all the blood rush from my face. They had found us.

"W-Where d-did you f-find this, D-Derek?" panic started to take over me.

"Upstairs hallway," Derek replied emotionlessly.

"D-Do you think t-they took S-Simon and Tori?" I knew what the answer was, it was obvious, but hopefully it wouldn't be what I expected.

"Yes," another emotionless answer, "They could've escaped…" his words trailed off and his gaze shot to Andrew, "We should try waking Andrew, he might know what to do."

Derek started to gently shake Andrew while I lifted the coffee table back into place and began to slowly place everything back on. The images flickering from the screen started to irritate me so I shut the T.V off and went to go sit down next to Derek.

"Come on, Andrew, wake up," muttered Derek gruffly.

"Maybe you should give him some time before…" but Andrews sharp intake of breath cut me off.

His eyes snapped open and he glanced up at Derek, "W-What's going on?" his voice sounded raspy.

"That's the same question we're asking," replied Derek.

Andrew sat up and leaned against the couch; he closed his eyes and sighed heavily.  
As Derek and I waited for him to say something I could hear Derek's shallow breathing. He was trying to stay calm.

"Edison Group," mumbled Andrew, "Two members came by, big tall guys, they broke in, tried to take Simon and Tori, but they escaped using their powers on them and ran off. The two guys were pissed, so pissed they managed to knock me out."

"They did a good job of that," muttered Derek.

Andrew opened his eyes to look at us, "Two reason why they were pissed, they let two supernaturals escape from their clutches and the two supernaturals who they were actually looking for, weren't here."

Derek stiffened beside me; I actually started to feel dizzy.

"Y-You mean, those guys were really after me and Derek?" I asked in a weak voice.

Andrew nodded gravely and we all lapsed into silence.

"Did someone call for a sorcerer and a witch?" Simon's cheerful tone broke the silence.  
Simon and Tori stood in the doorway. Simon had a grin plastered to his face while Tori smirked. Both of them seemed rather proud of themselves.

"Thank God, you two are safe," Andrew smiled as Derek slightly relaxed.

I was actually happy myself, glad to see they had gotten away and returned in one piece.

"So how'd you guys do it?" asked Andrew as Simon and Tori sat down on the couch.

"Well, in the house I fogged up their view while Tori used a knock back spell," explained Simon, "This gave us time to escape into the forest, when we realized they were following us I fogged up their view again and Tori managed to separate them," Simon paused to chuckle, "Tori put a confusion spell on them which got them wandering off in the forest and completely lost, by the time the spell wears off they won't even remember where they came from…let alone remember they were a part of the Edison Group."

"Good for you!" beamed Andrew.

"Nahh, it was all Tori," said Simon as he flung his arm around her shoulder in a chummy sort of way.

Tori slightly blushed, "I only learn from the best."

Over the past couple of days Tori's attitude had slightly eased up (a good change for us all) and she and Simon had begun to talk a bit more, they'd talk about different spells and exchange the knowledge they knew about magic.  
Seeing Simon's arm around Tori like that sort of reminded me of Derek and his warm hugs. I inched closer to Derek just enough to be able to touch his wrist. Derek reacted by moving his hand closer to mine, enough for his fingertips to touch my hand. Feeling the slightest touch from him made me feel a little more relaxed.

"What about the Edison Group?" asked Derek his eyes on Andrew, "They know where we are," he passed the scrap of paper over to Andrew.

Andrew's eyes scanned the note but his words were reassuring, "Those were just scouts…came across us accidentally, they were lucky to find us is all, but they didn't have enough time to notify the others."

"So we don't have to relocate?" Derek sounded hopeful.

"No we don't, but I will contact one of the ex-Edison Group members tonight who can ensure us that these scouts won't find us again."

"We're safe?"

"Safe," confirmed Andrew, "Besides we have a witch, a sorcerer, a werewolf and a necromancer here," he gave each of us an approving smile, "They won't mess with us."

We all smiled back; even I managed a weak smile. Andrew made it all sound so easy but really there was a lot of fear. The Edison Group wasn't dumb, soon enough they'd find us and then what? Would we have to run or die trying? Was there a way to put an end to the Edison Group? How many more people would be hurt in the process of finding us? Plenty of questions ran through my brain, each one making me feel sick. I wasn't even that great of a necromancer! My powers weren't in complete control. How was I supposed to use them against the Edison Group when I haven't even completely mastered them myself?  
It really scared me how the Edison Group's current number one targets were me and Derek. If they ever caught us who knows what they'd do?  
_Kill us.  
_No, shut up, I told the voice in my head, but those words echoed inside and in addition to it screamed, _They'll kill you just like they killed Aunt Lauren!_

Andrew stood up, "Let's go eat something."

Everyone began to stand up and follow him to the kitchen.

Derek stooped over me and held out his hand, I held onto it as he helped me up.  
He swung his arm over my shoulders and murmured, "We'll beat them, you'll see."  
His words gave me some hope, but didn't fully convince me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclamer: None of the characters belong to me.**

Author's Note: Here's Chapter 3. Sorry if it took awhile to get on here, I got kind of caught up with things :]

* * *

I lay in bed that night trying my hardest to fall asleep but failed. No matter how many times I tossed and turned or flipped my pillow over to the cold side all my thoughts just came racing back to my brain making me snap my eyes open and stare up at the white ceiling.

For probably the 25th time that night I flipped myself onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I came to the realization that I probably wouldn't fall asleep at all that night and decided to sit up in bed.  
I didn't bother turning on the light. What difference would it make? I was already wide awake as it was in the complete darkness.

I heaved a deep sigh as I ran my fingers through my now strawberry blonde hair.  
Fortunately, after washing out the hideous black colour my hair had returned to its natural hue. At least that's one thing that had worked.  
Everything else seemed hopeless at the moment.  
Two Edison Group "scouts" had managed to "coincidentally" come across our hideout. At least, we all hoped it was a coincidence.  
I still have a price on my head (half a million dollars to be exact) and uncontrollable necromancer powers. My Aunt Lauren was possibly now dead and my poor father was probably worried sick about me. Splendid. Just splendid.

_Aren't you forgetting about someone, Chloe? It's not all that bad._Oh right! I had Derek. Just the very thought of him made me feel a bit more relieved.  
I lowered myself back down thoughts on Derek. Gosh, I really did like him. Today when the nighttime rolled in and everyone had gone to sleep in their rooms, he'd come by to my room to talk. Not about anything serious, just to talk. This conversation on regular topics took my mind off of our problems for just a few minutes. Derek even asked me how I was feeling. I loved how I could always count on Derek to look out for me. His protectiveness didn't bug me. In fact it comforted me, and it wasn't any extreme overprotectiveness to the point where it got annoying. No, it was…sweet.

That night Derek had told me that I was pretty. My reaction to this was obviously a pair of crimson cheeks and a sheepish reply, "Your eyes are nice…and you have a hot body!" I could not believe that I'd actually blurted out the last part! In fact I wished that I could rewind time and omit those words from my commentary! Bur it wasn't normal for me to have a guy tell me I was pretty, I didn't quite know how to respond to such a compliment, so why not tell the guy what I truthfully thought of his looks? Little did I know that telling a guy he had a hot body sounded very dumb. Especially when it was coming out of my mouth.  
Derek had actually chuckled at this, leaned in and kissed me. At least the comment had received a positive reward.  
I couldn't help smiling as I lay in bed thinking of Derek and his kisses…it was just all so exhilarating and heart-pounding…

"Chloe."

The little love train completely froze.

"Chloe," a familiar feminine voice whispered my name once more.

I knew very well who that voice belonged too. I knew it very well indeed. What frightened me and made my blood turn cold was the fact that it was physically impossible for this person to be in the same room as me at the moment. Unless…  
I shut my eyes really tight and pulled the fluffy duvet over my head. I was just probably imagining things, all this worrying is finally getting the better of me.

"Chloe, I know you can hear me," the woman sounded stern.

Yes, I could hear her. Her voice was clear as a bell as a matter of fact. But I didn't want to hear her voice; I really wished that I couldn't because hearing her voice was not a good sign at all. It only meant that this woman was a ghost. She was dead but I didn't want her to be.

"Chloe, please get up and talk to me," now the woman was pleading me to talk to her.  
But I didn't want to. It would only bring more bad news. So I squeezed my eyes tighter and hid under the duvet like a scared little child cowering from a thunderstorm.

"Chloe Saunders this is your Aunt speaking, get up this instant!"

There was no point in ignoring her anymore. She was serious about talking to me and it was already obvious she was dead. Besides, she was ghost now, and ghosts could talk forever. Why couldn't necromancers have an on and off switch included in their supernatural ability? That way they wouldn't be tormented by ghost, spirits to demons and they wouldn't accidentally raise corpses.

I slowly lifted the duvet off my face and sat up. There, sitting on the edge of my bed was Aunt Lauren. In any other circumstances I would've been thrilled at the sight of my Aunt, but tonight I was a different matter. This wasn't Aunt Lauren in the flesh, I was her ghost. I could tell it was her ghost because she was wearing the same black jacket she wore on the night when Tori's mom attacked her.

"Hello Aunt Lauren," my voice seemed distant.

"Hi Chloe," she wore a sad look on her face, "How have you been?"

I shrugged, "So-so," I hesitated upon asking her how she was but I said it anyways, "And you?"

She also shrugged, "Well I've been a ghost for about a week and a half now…" she trailed off and glanced down at her hands.

A huge lump formed in my throat. So she really had died, "That was really you in the forest when the Edison Group was chasing us?"

Aunt Lauren nodded and glanced back up at me, "Do you know why I'm here Chloe?"

I shrugged. If I said anything else I knew my voice would crack, I knew that I'd probably burst into tears. I didn't want to cry, not here and not now, when Aunt Lauren needed to tell me something important instead of try to comfort me.

"I'm here to help you, to warn you of your dangers, "Aunt Lauren paused and looked away, "Do you know who killed me?"

"Tori's mom?" my voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yes, but she didn't do it alone."

"W-Who helped her?" my voice began to gather some strength.

Aunt Lauren looked back at me her expression unreadable, "Dr. Davidoff."

I remained silent so Aunt Lauren continued, "Chloe, you watch out with that man, he may seem like the patient, merciful type, but he really isn't," she paused and continued this time with more venom in her tone, "I was murdered Chloe. After Tori's mom knocked me out Davidoff got to me. She was there while she watched me die. All Davidoff really did was shoot me, but he said it was for doing what I thought was good. He said that nothing in this world is good. Don't worry Chloe, my death was quick, I only felt pain for a split second…"

When she trailed off I sucked in my breath, trying my hardest not to cry and told her about the Edison Group Scouts, what they did, what happened to them and who they were after.

Aunt Lauren closed her eyes when she heard that they wanted me and Derek, "Chloe, I will do everything I can to protect you, I'll keep you posted on every single scheme the Edison Group plots, they'll never have the advantage of the element of surprise with all the knowledge you will be fed."

"They seem impossible to be stopped," I muttered.

Aunt Lauren's eyes opened up so fast and she lurched forward me it startled me, "No! Chloe don't say that! They have a weak spot and that's what we're going to find out. They are an evil cult that must be stopped!" Aunt Lauren was very angry, "They are all murderers!" she shrieked.

Witnessing Aunt Lauren in such an angry state was somewhat frightening. She seemed like some crazy mad woman, the way her eyes bulged out and the way she shrieked her words. This was a side of Aunt Lauren I thought I'd never see.

"Chloe," Aunt Lauren took a deep breath, she now spoke in a much calmer and quieter voice, "This isn't the end. You have a very powerful gift, controlling an army of corpses is what makes the Edison Group fear you, they know that you have the power to bring them to their knees. That's why they want you dead. All you have to do it stop fearing your power and take control. Don't be afraid, these corpses only answer to you and will never hurt you or any of your loved ones."  
Aunt Lauren leaned across the bed and touched my hand. This slightly made me jump, her hand was ice cold, "Harness your power Chloe, and you will see, the Edison Group will feel your wrath."

I blinked at her. This was all too crazy to handle. It had to be a dream. But I was well aware that I probably wouldn't be able to see Aunt Lauren so vividly or feel her hand in a dream.

Aunt Lauren smiles slightly, "I'm going to leave now Chloe, investigate a bit more. I want you to get some shut-eye, now if you want to talk just whisper my name, I'll hear you and I'll arrive."

I opened my mouth to ask her how this is possibly but she seemed to have read my mind, "Necromancers and ghost can share a special bond, I felt your vibe so I knew you must be in this house."

This truly was unreal. But Aunt Lauren's words slowly started to sink in and I started to feel scared. Harness my power? How I was supposed to do that?

"I'm leaving now Chloe, call me when you need, " Aunt Lauren smile once more and slowly began to fade away, "Sleep tight."

"B-Bye," was all I managed to sputter out before she completely disappeared.

As soon as I was alone again I slowly lay my head back down on my soft pillow. Without a doubt, I released all the emotion I had just been holding in and quietly began to cry. Aunt Lauren didn't deserve to die like that! She had been shot. Murdered. For helping me and Tori escape. Davidoff would most likely commit the same murder if he ever got his hands on me or Derek.  
My silent cries were put to an end when I remembered Aunt Lauren's encouraging words.  
_You have the power to bring them to their knees.  
Stop fearing your power and take control!  
These corpses only answer to you; they'll never hurt you or your loved ones.  
The Edison Group will feel your wrath!  
They have a weak spot and that's what we're going to find out!  
_  
Suddenly I felt stronger; I believed that this was all true! I could bring the Edison Group to their knees! All I had to do was take control, get some practice…  
In the black of the night I saw beam of light, a shard of hope shining down on me.  
I will overcome my power. For Aunt Lauren, for Derek, for my dad and for my mother.  
It was about time that I discover what I'm truly capable.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclamer: Don't own anything :[**

Authour's Note: Kay, so sorry that i took awhile to get the next chapter up. I keep getting caught up in summer things  
i promise i haven't forgotten about writing, and i will try my best to update as quickly as possible.

Peace. :]

* * *

I forced my sleepy eyes open and focused on the familiar view of the white ceiling. Morning. Sunlight poured in through the window and birds chirped happily outside on the tree branches. As I listened closely I could hear the jingling of plates being passed around and Simon's exciting chatter from downstairs. It was very faint so I couldn't tell what he was saying but it definitely sounded like Simon.  
I smiled slightly at the thought of his cheerful optimism.

_You could use some of that optimism too, Chloe._My smile faded. Memories of last night's meeting with my now dead Aunt flooded back into my head. I sat up in bed, propped my elbows onto my knees, and exhaled deeply.

"Simon please hand me some of that optimism of yours," I mumbled under my breath.

Simon made everything seem okay, he made it seem more like we were on vacation instead of hiding from a deadly group.

_No Chloe, wrong word, scratch group more like evil cult.  
_

Aunt Lauren's venomous words echoed in my head. This time I sighed heavily and closed my eyes. Last night Aunt Lauren had actually managed to encourage me and I felt like I had that strength and ability to "harness my power".  
This morning, I seemed to have lost some of that optimism, feeling hopeless again. How was I going to do this? Raise an army of corpses and command them to attack the Edison Group. Sounds real easy. Aunt Lauren made it seem possible, I actually believed it could be but after rethinking who I was up against here made me retaliate. I was a complete failure of a necromancer, for all I knew it could take years to actually master that!

_Yeah if the Edison Group lets you live that long!_Simon's cheerful laugh traveled up from the kitchen to my room, tearing me away from my pessimistic thoughts.  
Simon's optimism may be somewhat a help at time's but it didn't assure me that all out problems were swept away into the dust. It was all just a 10 minute break from reality.

"Chloe?" there was a soft rap on my door. It was Derek.

"Come in," it didn't occur to me that I had morning breath and a rat's nest on my head until he stepped in through the doorway.

He stood in the doorway fully dressed, black hair combed and teeth probably already brushed too. He looked perfect and ready for the day while I sat in my bed surrounded by a fluffy duvet looking like a cocaine addict.

I knew my cheeks turned red as I nervously raked my fingers through my hair, "P-Perhaps this is a bad time."

Derek laughed, "No, I don't mind your morning look."

I giggled, looking down my cheeks still red.

"Just came to check if you were awake, you should get some breakfast."

I nodded. I glanced up at Derek; his green eyes were filled with care. I knew that he was the first person I should confide in about last night. It sort of felt wrong if I didn't, "Derek, something happened last night."

His slight smile evaporated, concern lit his face. He closed the door, strode over to the bed and sat down in front of me, "What happened, Chloe?" he asked softly.

So I told him everything. About Aunt Lauren's visit, what she said about the Edison Group, what she told me about taking control of my necromancy powers. And lastly, I told him about my feelings.

"Oh, Chloe," he pulled me into a hug, his voice still soft, "I'm sorry about your aunt, if there's anything I can do-."

"Just hold me," I cut him off burrowing my face into his shirt and wrapping my arms around his chest.

"I can manage that," he responded by pulling me into a tighter hug.

The way he stroked my hair relaxed me and the smell of his shirt I inhaled made me feel comfortable.

After 5 silent minutes of embracing each other Derek spoke up, "You have to tell Andrew."  
I nodded. I had been planning to. This wasn't a situation I could keep to myself.

Derek gently released me and lifted my chin, "Chloe, if I could take control of being a werewolf, you could take control of being a necromancer."

"I hope so."

Derek softly pressed his lips to my forehead, "Get dressed and come down to eat."

"Yup."

As Derek walked up to the door I blurted out, "Thanks."

He glanced back.

I slightly blushed, "Thank you for listening to me and giving me advice," I gave him a weak smile.

He returned a smile that made my knees feel kind of weak, "No problem."

When Derek left me alone I desperately wanted to call him back, just to be here with me. But I couldn't always rely on Derek to comfort me (although I greatly enjoyed it) I had to start working on myself. Maybe if I did that, I'd be more ready to be a necromancer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Heyyyy, I'm back. So, I haven't been able to update for what seems like FOREVER because I was at my cottage for all of last week. Just got back on Saturday. Being at my cottage all week had me isolated from the Interent let alone a computer. Fourtunately, I planned ahead, and decided to write out 4 chapters in my notebook :] All I have to do now is type them onto my computer (which doesn't take long). Soooo, I'm gonna try to get these chapters on here in the next 2 days :]**

Anyways, enjoy this chapter. :]  


**Disclamer: I own nothing. :[**

Peace. 3

* * *

I told Andrew all about last night and exactly what Aunt Lauren had said. Andrew just nodded, said he as sorry about my loss and took a sip of his coffee. His gaze was distant, his thoughts seemed to be lost in a swarming mess…as if he couldn't quite feel the danger we were in.

"Andrew?"

This seemed to snap him out of his reverie; he fixed his eyes on me, "Don't worry about it."

I shot him a look. How could I not worry about anything? Is that the best advice he had to offer?

"Uh…what I mean," he cleared his throat, "There will be a few other supernaturals joining us."

This brightened my mood. More supernaturals! Hopefully one of them would be an experienced necromancer who could help me out, perhaps give me some tips, and show me the tricks of the trade.

"Did I hear something about other supernaturals?" Simon poked his blond spiky head through the kitchen door.  
Andrew and I were alone in the kitchen while I explained last nights details. Apparently Simon must've been strolling by when he heard us speaking of the other supernaturals.

"Yes, Simon, more supernaturals will be joining us. Afterall, we can't take the Edison Group down alone. We need more help," Andrew turned to me, "And now with help from Chloe's aunt, we will have all the information we need to break in."

"Nice," replied Simon, "Where'd you find these guys?"

"That ex-Edison Group member that I contacted the other night suggested I recruit some new members for now, he passed me their numbers and luckily these supernaturals are more than happy to help out."

"Cool, so when will they be here?" asked Simon.

"We should be expecting them tomorrow," Andrew leaned against the counter and took a second to sip his coffee, "Two of them are coming all the way from Canada."

"Whoa," Simon was now standing next to Andrew.

Andrew chuckled, "Be nice to them," he checked his watch, "Sorry guys, but I need to make an important phone call," he slipped away from the kitchen leaving me alone with Simon.

"Sorry about your aunt Chloe," Simon said sympathetically.

"It's okay," I answered lightly trying to make it seem like I wasn't driven into depression.

Simon squeezed my hand, although he didn't release, he just held on.

I really wished that was Derek holding my hand right now. Guilt slowly started to sweep over me. Simon may just be trying to be nice but it was really making me feel uncomfortable. When two people are in a relationship with each other they don't hold hands lovingly with other people. Wasn't that considered as some level of cheating? Not that I was enjoying the fact that Simon was holding my hand, but if someone walked in on this scene, I'm pretty sure they'd assume that I was an active participant of this hand holding. I guess me and Derek do have something going on between us. We haven't been on a date but I suppose the kissing, hugging, talks and comments consider us boyfriend and girlfriend. I think I was ready to consider Derek as my boyfriend. I wonder if he thought of me as his girlfriend…or as his mate. My heart leaped at the thought of being Derek's mate.

"You sure it's okay?" Simon asked in a low drawl, his hazel eyes fixed on mine.

I nodded stiffly. Sweat started trickling down the back of my neck and I was pretty sure my palms were beginning to sweat up too. Simon was getting a little too close. I awkwardly tried to slip my hand from his grasp by Simon just leaned in closer…

"Simon," I squeaked. Derek obviously hadn't mentioned the story of our blooming relationship to his brother…I'd really been hoping that he had, sparing me a really awkward conversation with Simon. Simon attempting to what seemed like kiss me showed he had no clue about what was going on between me and Derek.

"Shh," Simon closed his eyes and just leaned in closer.

My eyes widened and my heart started pounding, and not in a good way. The kind of pounding when you're nervous or scared not when you're excited for a kiss.

"I'm in love with Derek!" I blurted our just as his lips were millimeters away from mine.

His eyes snapped open and he backed away with a shocked expression on his face, "Come again?"

I gulped and repeated quietly, "I'm in love with Derek," my cheeks heated, "Really, Simon, your brother is a great guy."

Simon blinked away the shock, "So…you are in love with Derek," his expression was unreadable.

"That's what I said."

Silence. Simon's expression was still unreadable; he wasn't even looking at me. Oh no. Simon was probably angry now. Last thing I needed right now was a person who I thought could be my friend getting mad at me. I knew he wouldn't take this well.

"Well…Derek could use a girl like you for a mate…" Simon finally met my gaze after 3 minutes, which seemed like an hour, "I have a feeling he likes you too…he'll treat you right, so don't go breaking his heart," he gave me a weak smile, "Or I'll have no choice but to kick your ass," he finished with a wink.

"Yes, sir." I felt relieved. At least he wasn't sad or mad and he was joking around so I guess he was cool with it afterall.

"Simon!" Tori's voice rang out from the hall, "Where are you? We have a practice scheduled remember?"

"Coming Sweetie!" Simon called out with a grin plastered to his face.

Tori giggled girlishly in the hallway, "Don't call me that."

"Not unless you start calling me Handsome!"

More giggles, "Alright _Handsome_, get your butt over here so we could perfect my knock back spell!"

Simon flashed me a smile and whispered, "Gotta go, we'll talk later."

"Sure, go to your 'Sweetie'," I whispered back playfully nudging him in the ribs.

Simon flushed, "Lame joke we got going on there, huh?"

"I dunno, it's kinda cute."

Simon snickered, "Sure. Cute's the word. See ya Chloe."

When Simon left me to attend to Tori I leaned against the counter and blew out a sigh of relief. Simon had taken the news well. I guess this left us as friends which was good enough for me. At least one thing had managed to work out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclamer: I own nothing.**

Enjoy the chapter :]

* * *

I sat on the front porch of the large Victorian house swinging on the porch swing. There was absolutely nothing to do. Simon and Tori were busy practicing in the backyard and Derek was nowhere to be found. I had gone to watch Simon and Tori practice but something told me Tori wanted her alone time with Simon so I left.

_Well if you're soooo bored, why not do something productive like…hm…I dunno…practice your necromancer powers! _I winced at the though of bringing spirits into their shells but I could attempt at calling Aunt Lauren over. I didn't have anything that belonged to her nor did I know where her body was buried so I tried to contact her the way she told me to.

"Hey Aunt Lauren, you there?" I whispered.

I waited a minute, then two, three and still no sign of Aunt Lauren.

"Aunt Lauren, I'd like to speak to you," I raised my voice a little bit higher.

No sign of her. Perhaps Aunt Lauren was wrong. Did this method really work? I doubted it after two failed attempts. Maybe…Aunt Lauren wasn't dead, maybe I had dreamt it…

"Yes hon! I'm here!"

I hadn't expected Aunt Lauren's sudden reply at all so I had jumped and practically fallen off the swing.

Aunt Lauren's chuckle came from behind me. I spun to see her sitting on the porch swing patting the empty cushiony spot next to her, "Startled, much?"

I couldn't help chuckling a bit myself as I took my seat next to her.

"How've you been, hon?" It felt as if Aunt Lauren wasn't dead. Sitting next to her on a porch swing on a warm, sunny day felt normal.

"Good," I said and began to tell her about Andrew calling a few other supernaturals to join our team.

"That's excellent!" Aunt Lauren exclaimed cheerfully.

I nodded. Yes it was a good thing. Perhaps this was the 2nd thing that had worked out.

"So I have a little bit of news for you, not much really but…"Aunt Laurens cheerful tone trailed off coming back harder and more serious, "Your friend Raechelle---"

"Rae." I had totally forgotten about her.

"Yes, Rae. Dr. Davidoff is giving her some serious brainwashing. He tells her that she is extremely powerful and that you –as in the kids from Lyle House- are the enemy and not to be trusted---"

"Is she buying it?" I felt a spark of anger towards Rae, afterall she had betrayed us.

Aunt Lauren nodded gravely, "I'm afraid so. She has become more experienced with her power…might be an opponent to watch out for---"

"O-Opponent?" I sputtered the word nervously.

Aunt Lauren met my gaze, "Yes Chloe. Rae is certainly not to be trusted…she is close to becoming an Edison Group member. An opponent she will be indeed."

Rae? A member of the Edison Group? Not to mention, she's a fire demon and apparently getting good at controlling it. Back at Lyle House Rae and I had been good pals, goofing around in class, even busting open locks to get into a nasty crawl space in the basement of the house. Now she was a rival. It'd be hard to go against Rae or hurt her after she'd been a good friend to me at Lyle House.

_Remember what she did to you. She's a traitor! _But I was not a fan of revenge.

"Chloe, you there?"

Before my eyes Derek was standing in front of me smiling down, "Hey, I've been looking for you."

I smiled back, "Hey, me too," I patted the empty spot next to me ignoring Aunt Laurens shocked expression, "Have a seat."

Derek plopped down next to me and planted a kiss on my cheek accompanied by a loud gasp from Aunt Lauren.

"Chloe!"

"Not now," I mumbled my response to Aunt Lauren's disapproval.

From the corner of my eye I saw Aunt Lauren's lips tighten, "Oh, don't you give me that 'Not now' business. You are my niece and I think I deserve to know about any of your current boyfriends!"

"Aunt Lauren please relax, I'll explain later."

"Aunt Lauren?" Derek looked at me eyebrows raised, "She's here?"

Aunt Lauren was quick to respond, "Yes! She is! And you boy, better be a fine gentleman for my Chloe or else!" Thank God Derek couldn't hear her.

"She says Hello," I lied, "And she's sitting next to me right now."

Derek glanced over my head, "Hello Dr. Fellows."

"Hmph, the boy has brushed up on his manners," she pounced to her feet and stepped right in front of Derek, "Lemme get a good look at him…" she mumbled rubbing her chin.

I bit my tongue trying not to laugh. I've never seen her study anyone so intensely with her eyes narrowed into slits, her chin jutted out and her lips pursed. She was like a female version of Clint Eastwood. I knew the only reason she was studying Derek in such a way was because she still remember him as the rude, ugly boy from Lyle House who had had numerous misadventures with her niece. I was pretty sure she wouldn't have done this with another boy.

"Major loss of acne…" she muttered, "Not bad…"

Derek looked slightly confused and followed my expectant gaze towards were Aunt Lauren was standing, "Chloe, what---"

Aunt Lauren turned so abruptly it made me jump, "I want full details on his little 'fling' of yours!"

"Of course. In my room. Tonight." I promised.

"In the meantime…" Aunt Lauren paused and turned her penetrating, dark gaze on Derek, "I'll be watching from the other side to see how he treats you."

I stifled a laugh. Aunt Lauren's shrewd seriousness was quite amusing.

Finally Aunt Lauren faded away and called out, "I'll talk to you later!"

"Okay. What was that?" asked Derek.

"Just me talking to my aunt…by the way she's gone now," I said, "So what's up?"

Derek got more comfortable next to me, "I was in the basement…brushing up on my werewolf skills and I…uh…smelt something that could be useful for you."

"Useful? For me?"

"Yeah, a body."

I froze, "A b-body?" I wouldn't think that this safe house we were staying at had an actual human body rotting away in the basement. That didn't quite feel right.

"Don't worry, this person seemed to die of natural causes, they were kept in a crypt of some sort," Derek assured me.

I relaxed, "Okay, so there's a body buried in the basement that apparently died of natural causes…" I trailed off realizing why Derek was suggesting that a body would be useful for me. I turned to look in his eyes, "You want me to practice on that body?"

Derek shrugged, "Just suggesting you should, I mean you don't have to if you don't want---"

"No," I cut him off, "That's actually a good idea…" I stood up and faced him, "Let's go."

Derek wordlessly stood up and led me to the basement. As we climbed down the dimly lit, wooden staircase I felt slightly reckless and a bit nervous. This ghost was probably enjoying his peaceful afterlife but would soon be snatched back to the world he first came from. I remembered the words from the ghosts I summoned at Lyle House. The woman was angry and told me that someone will teach me a lesson one day. That's why I planned to ask the ghost first if it was okay with him if I sent him back to his body to practice.

"Here's the crypt," Derek had stopped right in front of a long, red coffin in an even more dimly lit room inside the basement. The room was tiny with concrete walls and no windows at all. The floor was covered in dirt and sand and the room had a mucky smell to it.  
The coffin had obviously not been attended to in a long time. The red candles surrounding it weren't lit and the flowers in the vases had withered away long ago leaving them empty.

"How'd you find this?" I asked.

"I told you, I smelt the body," answered Derek, "The door was locked so I had to pick the lock. Wasn't hard considering how old and simple it was."

I brushed my palm along the red wood picking up any fallen dust in my path. I straightened, cleared my throat and glanced sideways at Derek, "Ready?"

"Whenever you are."

I closed my eyes and said, "Hello, I'd like to speak to you."

No answer. Derek leaned against the wall silently watching.

I snapped my eyes open, "Derek, I want to first contact the spirit to ask I could practice controlling their corpse…just so their not mad at me for disrupting their peace," I rotated in his direction, "Is that an okay idea?"

Derek nodded, "Yeah better working with a happy ghost rather than an angry one."

I turned back to the coffin, "It'd be a lot easier if I knew the name of the ghost I'm summoning," I muttered.

"There's a little gravestone beside the coffin," Derek pointed out drawing my attention to the small stone lying on the moist, sandy floor.

"It's pretty weird actually," continued Derek, "It just said Sam on it. Not even an _In Loving Memory_ or even the guy's last name or date of birth and death.

I studied the tombstone. He was right. Just the name Sam was scrawled across the stone. Nothing else. It was slightly odd…

I shut my eyes and focused on pulling this Sam guy out of the otherside.

"Sam, please talk to me."

I blocked out every smell and feeling around me until I felt nothing except the presence of myself and someone else. And this person wasn't Derek…

"Yes! Yes, what do you want you stupid necromancer?" a man angrily hollered in my face.

This was definitely not a happy ghost.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: Sorry about the cliffhanger ending to Chapter 6. Here's the rest.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing.  


**Enjoy :]**

**

* * *

**

I bounced back until I almost smacked into Derek. I had managed to pull out the ghost of Sam. He hovered in front of me arms crossed across his chest. He sported a dark slicked back hairdo, an expensive looking suit, and a very grim expression on his pale face. This was obviously not a happy ghost.

Derek lightly touched my shoulder, "Chloe, what do you see?"

"T-The g-ghost," I stammered, "I s-summoned h-him."

"Oh, you did a good job at that Necromancer!" Sam screamed.

I gulped, "I'm s-sorry…Sam, is it?"

"Yes," he gestured at his grave, "A pitiful sight my burial tomb is," his voice has now dropped from angry to weak, "A man with my intellect did not deserve something such as this."

"I'm sorry Mr. Sam," I replied.

"No, don't call me that. You can just call me Sam…Mr. Lyle if you really want to be polite."

I froze. Hearing that name made my blood turn cold, "Y-Y-You're Samuel Lyle."

I felt Derek stiffen behind me, "The ghost you summoned is the ghost of _Samuel Lyle_?"

Samuel Lyle cackled wickedly, "I'm sure you children have heard a lot about me."

He fixed his dark, pebbly eyes on me and flashed an oily, devious smile, "Scared?"

I didn't know what I felt. Remembering what the two ghosts had said about him in the crawl space sent chills up my spine. This man had led a crazy life.

"So Necromancer…" Samuel's voice was barley above a whisper, "What do you WANT?!" he switched back to screaming.

I could feel the blood rushing from my face, my fingers started shaking.

Derek placed his warm hand on my shoulder, "Chloe, you don't have to do this…send him back."

I swallowed hard, "Derek its fine. I-I gotta do this." I clenched my fists and took a step forward the furious ghost.

"I wanted to ask you if I could send you back to your corpse…so I could just practice controlling a body…my powers aren't all that great."

_Oh great job Chloe. Telling an extreme fanatic that your powers are almost as out of control as this guy's sick ideas._But Sam Lyle couldn't hurt me or anyone else, he was only a ghost. So what was there to fear? Well, there was the possibility that I wasn't strong enough to send him back to the otherside and have him here, stuck in our world, tormenting through the night. I shook the thought away and tried to focus on my conversation with this creep.

"Practice!" Samuel spat, "You demented young necromancer…" he trailed off, his expression went blank as if he were thinking something over.

"You are only a mere child," he smiled cruelly. His dark, cold eyes met my gaze causing me to shiver, "Child, you have a gift."

"Uh…thank you," I had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going.

"What do you need practice for exactly? It's not like you're thirsting for world domination anytime soon. A sweet, innocent, girl like you should not be getting mixed up in evil things like that." his sweetness was absolutely faked.

"Well…" I hesitated on whether I should tell him who was after us. Aw, what the heck. The guy was dead! There was no way he could mess anything up in our lives unless I let him, "There's this group…they're after us."

Samuel closed his eyes and let out a sigh that seemed really forced, "Oh don't tell me it's the Edison Group."

I nodded.

"Yes?" he opened his eyes and hovered closer to me, "Oh you poor child, having to suffer in such a way."

Uh yeah, at least running from the Edison Group isn't as bad as getting tortured to death by you; I thought but didn't dare say aloud.

"So what do you suppose they'll do to you if they do find you?"

I shrugged, "I dunno, but it won't be pretty."

"They won't hesitate to kill you. I hope you're aware of that."

I swallowed hard. Oh great, now this man was actually confirming that my worries were possible to come true.

"So, what are you doing to stop them?" he pressed on.

"Well…we're planning to break into their headquarters…not sure much about the plan,"

Samuel snorted, "No real plan," he sighed and moved closer placing his frigid fingers on my shoulder, "You need help."

"Uh, yeah…help is on the way actually," I thought of the other supernaturals who were due to arrive tomorrow.

Samuel had what seemed like a look of pity on his face, "The Edison Group, they are terrible aren't they? I hate them. Always have. They've mocked me for almost my whole life. They've never made anything easy for supernaturals…" he trailed off, let his eyes wander around the room and glanced back at me, "You can't do this alone."

"W-What do you mean?"

"What I mean, is that the Edison Group will most likely bring you down, no matter how many there are of you and how good your powers may be…and you know, I've always seeked revenge in bringing down the Edison Group," he paused, "I might actually want to help you."

"What?" I couldn't believe where this conversation was going.

Samuel must've seen the fear on my face, "Yes, I know what you're thinking. This man is not to be trusted; he probably just wants to use me so he could be free. No. That is not what I intend to do," he looked serious. But if his sweetness had sounded fake earlier, then how was I not sure that this wasn't fake?"

"Think about it. Having a smart and powerful man such as _me_ on _your_ side," he flashed me a smile and looked deep into my eyes, "All the plans I could concoct, help you defeat the Edison Group once and for all."

The more I looked into his eyes the more I seemed to be buying this. I started feel light-headed and a bit sleepy.

"Wouldn't it be amazing?" he insisted, "You know you can't do this alone. I know the Edison Group better than anybody else."

"Yes, yes," I heard myself murmuring, but it sounded different kind of as if I were slurring the words. The more I stared into his eyes the more dazed I felt.

"Yes," Samuel hissed under his breath, "It'd be great and I'd help you with your power too. You'd be the greatest necromancer known to man. Leading every corpse buried under the ground on this planet!"

I nodded. Just the slightest movements made me feel like falling over.

"So, say the words," Samuel looked so eager, like a little boy awaiting the unwrapping of his presents at Christmastime, "Say that you release me! Say it! We'll rule the world together," he whispered menacingly.

"Chloe?" Derek spoke up, concern in his tone, "You're awfully stiff, is everything okay?"

Samuel's eyes snapped up to Derek, "Shut the hell up!"

Suddenly I felt less light-headed and it occurred to me! Samuel Lyle was a sorcerer and he must've had me under some sort of spell. He _was_ trying to use me! I staggered back, "No!"

I didn't know much about Samuel Lyle but what I did know was that he was a scheming madman. I didn't know what he had planned for when I released him from the otherside, but something told me it wasn't to help me out, but to control me or do something crazy like that. He thought I was just a young, naive necromancer that would fall for this spell and follow his orders to fulfill his incomplete desires. I was just a prop for him, a mere puppet doing as he told me to do.

"I send you back!" I shouted, "Go away!"

Samuel's piercing death stare flickered from Derek to me, his expression collapsing in defeat, "No! No! Look at me necromancer! You need my help!"

But it was too late for him. My eyes were shut tight and I was already pushing him away from me.

"Foolish young necromancer!" he shouted back, "I can make your life easy!"

I concentrated on blocking out his curses and shouts. Soon his voice started to sound distant until finally it was gone. I opened my eyes to find Derek towering over me. I blew out a sigh of relief, "That man is insane."

Derek looked concerned, "What did he say?"

"I-I'll tell you when we get upstairs," I looked around the room and rubbed my arms, "This place is giving me the chills."

Derek put his arm around my shoulder's and led me out of the dim basement back up into the cozy home lit up by the afternoon light.

We found the den empty so we settled down in there as I told Derek about the summoning of Samuel Lyle and how he had me under some sort of spell.

Derek rubbed his chin, "Yes, definitely sounds like a spell of some sort. We can ask Simon if that's possible."

"If it weren't for you I'd probably be fully under his spell," I shook my head, "Thanks Derek, you helped a lot."

"You should try to control how close you want the ghost to you. I'm sure you could create some boundary so he doesn't touch you or try to put spells on you," suggested Derek. He paused then continued, "What I wanna know is how'd he die and why's he buried down there?"

"I dunno. You said he died of natural cases so maybe he just died in this house or nearby and was buried in there," I suggested.

"Could be," said Derek, "But I'm no expert. I'm not fully convinced that he could've died of natural causes, but judging by the appearance of the body, there weren't any wounds that showed he was murdered."

"Hey, Derek, should I tell Andrew about this?"

Derek shrugged, "I dunno. He might be kind of wrapped up right now with planning the break-in…we might even get in trouble for going down there."

"Yeah," I agreed, "Better keep this between us." I stopped and decided to tell Derek about what I was itching to find out, "Derek, I'm gonna summon him back…just to ask him how he died…but not today," I rubbed my arms, "I've had enough of dealing with furious ghosts for one day."

"Sure, just tell me when you're doing it…" he gave me a warning look, "After what he tried to do to you today; I don't think it's a good idea for you to visit him alone."

I nodded, "I'd greatly appreciate your company," I fixed him with a small smile, "By the way…how come you didn't ask me to be with you this afternoon while you turned into a wolf?"

"Oh," Derek shrugged, "Thought I'd try it alone, plus you were talking to Andrew so I didn't want to bother you."

"You never bother me," I replied in all sincerity.

He looked into my eyes and smiled broadly. So we switched from talking about these serious matters to sitting on a couch and smiling at each other like goofballs.

"Kids! Come eat dinner!" Andrew called out from the hallway.

Derek snorted at the fact that Andrew actually called us "kids."  
Simon must've felt the same way about this since we heard his voice echo in the hallway, "Andrew, _who_ are you calling _kids_?!"

Derek and I chuckled. Right then Simon's voice reminded me of our brief encounter this morning. When I broke the news to him.

"Uh…Derek," I spoke up, "There's something you should know."

Derek looked at me skeptically. He was probably thinking : "What more bad news?"

"This morning, I told Simon…about us."

Derek's expression froze, "And what'd he say?"

"He was cool with it," I smiled at Derek, "Really; he even started joking with me. Plus I think him and Tori really got something going on."

Derek seemed relieved, "Alright. Guess this means I'm free to do this." He grabbed my hand and weaved his fingers through mine. He smiled down at me encouragingly and I smiled back.  
We walked toward the dining room, hand-in-hand completely unsure of the reaction Tori and Andrew would give us, but it would be interesting to find out. Weren't surprise's supposed to be fun? Yeah, I guess they were but that didn't count for all surprise's life throws at you. Some could really rock your world.


	8. Chapter 8

Andrew swore under his breath as he rushed to answer the door, "Damnit, she's here early."

We had all been eating a clam and quiet breakfast when the doorbell rang. Andrew had told us that morning that we'd be expecting the supernaturals to start arriving today. What he hadn't expected was for them to arrive so early. We were all fully dressed, presentable enough but still a bit sleepy.

We hadn't expected the supernatural to arrive so early, but we also hadn't expected her to be a 12 year old girl!  
When Andrew led the girl into the kitchen and announced that her name was Shelby, Simon's jaw dropped and I'm pretty sure my eyes widened into huge balls.

Shelby was skinny and about two heads shorter than me. Her long brown hair was tied back in a tight ponytail and her honey brown eyes were surrounded by thin blue glasses. She sported a brown t-shirt with the words Rise Against printed on a slant, red plaid shorts that reached up to her knees and navy Converse.

She smiled shyly and a mousy "Hi", escaped her lips.

"Shelby, why don't you take a seat and wait for these guys to finish breakfast while I take your luggage up to one of the spare rooms," offered Andrew.

"Okay, thank you, Sir," Shelby responded kindly, smiling that cute shy smile of hers. I noticed that she had dimples, I've always wanted dimples.

Andrew laughed, "Oh please don't call me Sir. Makes me feel old." he heaved her small blue luggage, "Just call me Andrew."

"Um, Andrew. I dunno if you haven't noticed but you are old," stated Simon jokingly.

This got everyone in the kitchen laughing including Shelby, who showed her slightly crooked teeth as she laughed.

"Ha-ha," Andrew called out from the staircase sarcastically, "Hilarious."

As Shelby settled onto a stool at our eating table Simon decided to play host. "So, Shelby, where you from?"

"New York City," responded Shelby looking kind of wide eyed at Simon. I guess she hadn't expected him to be so welcoming or she was slightly intimidated by us being older.

"Ohh, the Big Apple," Simon smiled at Shelby, "That's interesting. By the way, I'm Simon."

Shelby seemed to like Simon. She smiled at him and slightly blushed. She probably thought he was cute. But that was actually kind of adorable when young girls crushed on older guys. I actually remembered back when I was in grade 5 I had a major crush on one of the 8th grade boys in my school.

"I'm a sorcerer, Tori's a witch, Chloe's a necromancer, and Derek-my foster brother-is a werewolf," Simon gestured to each one of us as he explained who we were and what we did.

Shelby nodded as she took this in but froze when Simon mentioned Derek was a werewolf. She started at Derek, eyes wide, "A w-werewolf?"

Derek noticed Shelby's shock, "Yeah, but don't worry…I don't bite," he gave her a weak smile.

Shelby gave a short laugh, "No, no, I'm not scared…I've just never met a werewolf before."

"So what do you do Shelby?" I asked politely.

Shelby turned her brown eyes on me, "Telekinesis."

For the second time that morning my eyes widened. Telekinesis. Never did I think that was real. Sure, I've read about it in books and seen it in movies but that was only fiction. Now actually seeing someone move objects or levitate things just by using their mind would be incredible.

I wasn't the only one who was impressed by this little girl's power, "Could you show us what you could do?" asked Tori.

"Sure." Shelby focused her eyes on a glass of juice and her expression instantly changed from cheerful to serious. She stared intensely at the glass until it moved slightly to the right, then a bit more until it was sliding to the edge of the table. But the glass didn't stop sliding. It was now hovering in the air, still moving around. But that wasn't all, Shelby glanced at an empty plate and it too began to float in mid-air alongside the glass. She set the plate under the glass and finally placed them back on the table.

"Bravo!" Simon was first to break the stunned silence.

Shelby grinned, "Thank you."

"A great addition to the team, huh guys?" Nobody had noticed Andrew watching in the doorway.

Andrew was right. Maybe we all had doubted that Shelby would be any help at all due to her age. However, after that demonstration, we that this little girl would definitely come in handy.

"So which one of you wanna show Shelby around the house after she unpacks her things?" asked Andrew.

"I could," offered Simon.

"Good," smiled Andrew.

Shelby went up to her room to unpack and she got a tour of the house via Simon. Later on Shelby curled up in the den to watch Spongebob and read a book. Nobody spoke much to her except small, friendly conversations were spoken when someone had to use the den. I wondered if she felt a bit intimidated due the fact that we were so much older than her. Although, after a short discussion with her about being a necromancer I think she felt slightly comfortable being here with us.

The day was pretty normal. I watched Derek change into a wolf in the forest and I went up to my room later on to talk to Aunt Lauren. Fortunately, she wasn't angry with me for my feelings for Derek, she actually thought that he had changed and from what she saw she said he'd keep me safe. She even admitted that he was kind of cute. The day went by quickly, there weren't any intruders and Andrew told us that we weren't to start discussing the plan until the last two supernaturals arrived. Before we knew it, it was 11:30 p.m. Shelby, Tori and Simon retired to their rooms. Derek was taking a shower while I began to read one of the books I picked up in the study. _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen. Something fiction that could keep my mind off things.

All day I had been thinking about my chilling encounter with Samuel Lyle in the basement. Why was his body down there in this supposed safe house of ours? Who killed him and what had happened? The more I thought about the possible answers the more insecure I felt about staying in this house. Things just kept getting more complicated.


End file.
